TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of focus and definiteness on children's word order
T2 - Evidence from German five-year-olds' reproductions of double object constructions
AU - Höhle, Barbara
AU - Hörnig, Robin
AU - Weskott, Thomas
AU - Knauf, Selene
AU - Krüger, Agnes
PY - 2014/7
Y1 - 2014/7
N2 - Two experiments tested how faithfully German children aged 4Â ;5Â to 5Â ;6Â reproduce ditransitive sentences that are unmarked or marked with respect to word order and focus (Exp1) or definiteness (Exp2). Adopting an optimality theory (OT) approach, it is assumed that in the German adult grammar word order is ranked lower than focus and definiteness. Faithfulness of children's reproductions decreased as markedness of inputs increased; unmarked structures were reproduced most faithfully and unfaithful outputs had most often an unmarked form. Consistent with the OT proposal, children were more tolerant against inputs marked for word order than for focus; in conflict with the proposal, children were less tolerant against inputs marked for word order than for definiteness. Our results suggest that the linearization of objects in German double object constructions is affected by focus and definiteness, but that prosodic principles may have an impact on the position of a focused constituent.
AB - Two experiments tested how faithfully German children aged 4Â ;5Â to 5Â ;6Â reproduce ditransitive sentences that are unmarked or marked with respect to word order and focus (Exp1) or definiteness (Exp2). Adopting an optimality theory (OT) approach, it is assumed that in the German adult grammar word order is ranked lower than focus and definiteness. Faithfulness of children's reproductions decreased as markedness of inputs increased; unmarked structures were reproduced most faithfully and unfaithful outputs had most often an unmarked form. Consistent with the OT proposal, children were more tolerant against inputs marked for word order than for focus; in conflict with the proposal, children were less tolerant against inputs marked for word order than for definiteness. Our results suggest that the linearization of objects in German double object constructions is affected by focus and definiteness, but that prosodic principles may have an impact on the position of a focused constituent.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84902463924&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0305000913000196
DO - 10.1017/S0305000913000196
M3 - Article
C2 - 23803281
AN - SCOPUS:84902463924
SN - 0305-0009
VL - 41
SP - 780
EP - 810
JO - Journal of Child Language
JF - Journal of Child Language
IS - 4
ER -